15 things people thought were 'normal' growing up — until they realized they weren't

One Redditor was never told not to eat muffin wrappers.
Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

Our childhood shapes the way we see the world, and people often grow up thinking that rare medical conditions, weird family traits, and peculiar misconceptions are shared by their peers. It isn't until they get older that they realize some beliefs and absurdities are unique only to them.

Here are things that various Reddit users grew up accepting as common sense until they had a major realization.

1/

Saying "open" and "close" the lights.

"I never noticed it was wrong until someone pointed it out in high school."elbud/Shutterstock

"I say 'close' or 'open' lights instead of turn 'on' or 'off.' I never noticed it was wrong until someone pointed it out in high school." — Reddit user MCML

2/

Wrapping a towel around your body.

"I was raised by my mom and two older sisters. Whenever they showered, they put the towel around their whole body, so naturally, I did, too. It never occurred to me to just put the towel around my waist … " — Reddit user darthaugustus

3/

Seeing all things as blurry.

"[I thought it was normal for] stuff to get blurrier the further away it is. It seemed to make sense — it's further away, so I can't see it as well. It wasn't until I was 18 and sitting in the back of massive lecture halls when I noticed that the people sitting next to me could read the board just fine. Then, I realized I needed glasses." — Reddit user eketros

4/

Associating numbers with colors.

"Last year I found out that this is actually a condition known as grapheme-color synaesthesia."Flickr/spablab

"I have always associated numbers with specific colors. For example, six is green, seven is orange, eight is purple, and nine is pink. Last year, I found out that this is actually a condition known as grapheme-color synaesthesia. I was asking my friend what color numbers were for him and he just looked at me like I was being strange." — Reddit user TheMediocreGentleman

5/

Waiting till you step in the shower to turn on the water.

"... It was just one of those habits that you don't really think about — you just do it."Shuttershock

"People apparently start the shower before they get into it. Until a couple of years ago, I would stand there and just take the first burst of cold water until it warmed up … I started dating a girl who soon showed me the error of my ways. Before that it was just one of those habits that you don't really think about — you just do it." — Reddit user Lobsterpunch

6/

Pronouncing "compromise" in a weird way.

"I used to think the end of 'compromise' was pronounced like 'promise,' not like 'pro-mize.' After one embarrassing correction during a six-player board game [when I read] it aloud from a card, it never happened again." — Reddit user katmiss

7/

Making lasagna without meat.

"She said that's just how you make lasagna and never spoke about it again."
Allie Lembo

"When I was a kid, my mom would always make a vegetarian lasagna and I would hate eating it. She said that's just how you make lasagna and never spoke about it again. I didn't know that you could make lasagna with meat until I went to a friend's house and he was so stoked about having lasagna. When I saw that there was no spinach, broccoli, or squash, and that there was all of this delicious meat and cheese… oh man. I devoured it." — Reddit user iamb3comedeath

8/

Having a lump on the back of your head.

"I have this weird lump in the back of my skull … and I thought everybody had it until a boyfriend of mine got really freaked out by it. He didn't have one, nor did any of my friends. So that's when I looked it up. It's not a tumor, it's part of the skull. I guess it's some weird rare genetic trait from an isolated part of Turkey." — Reddit user st112570

9/

Eating muffin paper.

"[For my entire life] I assumed eating the muffin paper was normal. No one told me it [wasn't] edible … One day during a class trip we had muffins for breakfast. My friend was clearing the table and asked me where my muffin wrapper was. That's when it dawned on me. [I was] made fun of for the entire trip." — Reddit user Robowarrior123

10/

Keeping cereal in the fridge.

"or years after moving off-island we kept doing it out of habit, and it was a long time before I realized it was not something everyone did."francois schnell/Flickr

"I lived on Guam for a few years when I was a kid, and it's the furthest back I can remember. Well, on a tropical island, it is prudent to keep things like cereal in the fridge, unless you like to pour a bowl of bugs and geckos for yourself each morning. For years after moving off-island we kept doing it out of habit, and it was a long time before I realized it was not something everyone did. I just thought cereal was something you kept in the fridge, the way you did milk and eggs." — Reddit user aveganliterary

Dressing your feet. . . so to speak.

Peeing outside.

"Nobody told me it was not okay to do that on the playground on the first day of kindergarten."
Jim Young/Reuters

"[I thought] peeing outside was normal. I grew up on a farm, and if you're outside playing and the urge strikes, I was told to find a bush and face away from the house. Nobody told me it was not OK to do that on the playground on the first day of kindergarten." — Reddit user guyjin

14/

Not all jacket pockets are left open.

"I always thought I just bought cheap suit jackets ... "
Shutterstock

"I just learned today that most suit jackets' outer pockets are sewn shut, and you're supposed to remove the thread. I always thought I just bought cheap suit jackets and wasn't worthy of the handkerchief." — Reddit user PlanningParty